Reds drop points in PL thriller as title race heats up but superstar ...

Liverpool have dropped points and handed rivals Arsenal the chance to narrow the gap in the title race with a thrilling 2-2 draw away at Aston Villa.

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The Reds mustered 17 shots, but only three were on target, as they led and also came from behind in an enthralling 90 minutes at Villa Park.

Arne Slot’s side now sit eight points clear of the Gunners, but with a game in hand, Arsenal can reduce the margin to five points with victory at home to West Ham on Saturday.

Villa, who along with Liverpool are in the Champions League Round of 16, looked destined to spring an upset when they needed only two shots on target to yield two goals in the opening half.

Midfielder Youri Tielemans levelled the scores in the 38th minute with a tidy volley, seizing the opportunity of the ball spilling to his feet as Liverpool failed to clear it after Marcus Rashford swung a free kick into the box.

Villa Park then erupted ten minutes later when talisman Ollie Watkins headed home his 12th goal of the season.

Defender Lucas Digne picked Watkins out in the box and the Reds complained of a handball earlier in the build-up, but the referee was not interested as the home side headed into the sheds with the lead.

After the half time break, Villa could have easily made it three with Rashford almost opening his account in his first start for his new club.

The loanee from Manchester United beat Reds goal keeper Alisson, who went rogue by coming a long way out from goal, in a race to the ball, but backtracking defender Ibrahima Konate headed clear Rashford’s shot.

A huge slice of luck then went Liverpool’s way with Trent Alexander-Arnold scoring the decisive equaliser in the 61st minute courtesy of a massive deflection off Villa defender Tyrone Mings which deceived goal keeper Emiliano Martinez.

Villa fans may have felt like justice stepped in the 70th minute to level the fortune stakes when $114m (AUD) Reds substitute Darwin Nunez, who replaced Diogo Jota up front, skied what should have been a tap in into a near empty net.

A disallowed goal from Villa substitute Jacob Ramsey, who was a long way off-side, added more drama in the 81st minute.

Earlier in the half, Mohamed Salah off loaded the ball to Alexander-Arnold on the edge of the box, as unsurprisingly the Egyptian star was a pivotal figure for the visitors.

Salah opened the scoring in the 29th minute when an error from Villa defender Andres Garcia gifted the ball to Jota, who put it on a platter for the golden boot leader to bury it into an empty net.

As has been the case on several occasions recently for Salah, who has 24 league goals this campaign, it was another record-setting goal.

It was his 15th away goal of the Premier League season, the most by a Liverpool player in a campaign, breaking Luis Suarez’s previous mark of 14 set it in the 2013/14 season.

The goal and assist also took his tally of goals and assists to 39 for the season, bettering Cristiano Ronaldo’s best ever season in the Premier League, and becoming the first player since Eden Hazard in 2018/19 to score 15 or more goals, and provide 15 or more assists.